Vegetarian: Black Bean Burritos

We've had discussions at our house about trying to eat more Vegetarian meals and I decided when we moved to Oregon that I wanted to do that. I have weeks that are better than others, but I'm going to start blogging once a week a Vegetarian meal or a vegetarian option for a meal.

For me a vegetarian day lets my body have a day of rest from trying to digest meat, it's healthier for our budget and it helps us focus on getting more veggies or beans, etc. around here which is sorely needed. I think a lot of people think vegetarian and think ewww...but give it a try and my first recipe is really simple and delicious!

I got this recipe from a cookbook I've had from years called Desperation Dinners that you can get here. They have some easy and good recipes. I used to cook a lot from it, but haven't as much lately as I've discovered other recipes and more complicated things I want to try. Their skillet Lasagna is so good and I'll be featuring it here soon.


Today's Ingredients:
2 teapsoons of EVOO
1 small onion
2 cans (15 oz.) of black beans, rinsed
1 can (4.5 oz.) of mild green chilies, drained
1 bottle (16 oz.) mild salsa - or spice this recipe up and make it medium or hot salsa

Optional Ingredients:
Minced garlic
Green pepper
Diced or shredded cooked chicken - about 2

Optional Toppings:
Guacamole or sliced avocados
Light Sour Cream
Cheddar or Mexican cheese - shredded
Fresh diced tomatoes
Cilantro


First get your oil heating in a big and deep skillet. Chop your onion.



Add your onion to your pan and cook until it's soft. I had a green pepper in my fridge that was already diced from a recipe I thought I was going to use it in and didn't and needed to get used up so I added it here. You can do the same!

Once the onion and green pepper (if using) are softened, add in your drained chilies and rinsed black beans.


Add your salsa and let it cook and thicken up for about 5 min.


We served ours with light sour cream and sliced avocados. You could also make some guacamole which would be yummy too!

This recipe is really versatile and I think you could add all sorts of things to it. Sliced olives, a little green onion, garlic (cooked with the onion) would all be good things to add. If you really need some meat you could add some leftover shredded chicken, grill or cube and saute 1-2 chicken breasts. Add them at the end and heat through. We've done that before and it's really good.

I definitely used this recipe when I was doing my weight loss challenge. If you are worried about calories then watch the tortilla or forgo it all together. We usually have wheat ones, but had some white ones that needed to get used up. There are some pretty good low calorie options out there. If I wanted a second helping I would usually just forgo the tortilla the second time around and eat the bean mixture with a little avocado. I also like light sour cream - 2 T are only 40 calories. It adds a nice creaminess and coolness to the wrap.

Enjoy and let me know how it is!!

Black Bean Burritos